Sky-high plans in the south
The Trump Organisation and a local partner are exploring plans to build a skyscraper in the business hub of Ho Chi Minh City, with Eric Trump expected to visit this week, a Vietnamese government document seen by Reuters shows.
The visit by the son of US President Donald Trump comes just after Vietnam gave his family business the green light for a separate US$1.5bil (RM6.4bil) golf project as the export-reliant South-East Asian nation holds talks with Washington to avoid punitive trade tariffs.
Ho Chi Minh City officials are invited to 'attend a dinner party with Eric Trump, senior vice-pres-ident of the Trump Organisation' set for Thursday evening at a central hotel in the city, according to the internal document.
The May 15 document, signed by the acting head of the foreign ministry department in the city, said representatives of the Trump Organisation would visit an upscale central area.
There, they would 'survey the proposed location of the Trump Tower building and hope to have a working session with the city's leaders about this project', it added, inviting local authorities to cooperate with the business delegation.
The Trump Organisation is run by Trump's children after he handed off its leadership after he won his first term as US president.
Another meeting between Ho Chi Minh City authorities and a representative of the venture between the Trump Organisation and its Vietnamese partner, real estate developer Kinhbac City, was set for yesterday, the document showed.
Both meetings are confirmed in a public schedule published yesterday on the Ho Chi Minh City website, which does not, however, elaborate on their content or name the participants.
Vietnam's foreign ministry, the Trump Organisation and Kinhbac City did not immediately reply to requests for comment.
With the skyscraper plan in an early stage, it is unclear if it will be pursued by the Trump Organisation and if authorities will approve it.
The plan for the Trump delegation's visit, which could change, comes after Vietnam approved last week a plan by the Trump Organisation and Kinhbac City to invest US$1.5bil in golf courses, hotels and real estate projects in its north.
In March, Reuters reported that the groundbreaking event was set for May, and that the Trump Organisation and its local partner were also seeking additional projects in the country.
Although they are considering multi-billion-dollar investments in Vietnam, it is unclear how the two share costs and revenues, and what conditions have been set for use of the Trump franchise. — Reuters
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